Cultural Variations in Parenting

An article in Family Relations: Journal of Applied Family and Child Studies examines the cultural variations in parenting among Caucasian, African American, Hispanic, and Asian American parents. Julian, McKenry, & McKelvey (1994) undertook their study because previous research has not adequately examined the extent to which there are cultural differences in parenting, when economic factors are removed. In addition, the study by Julian and her colleagues (1994) is important because previous research had only compared one ethnic group at a time to the standard frame of reference for almost all prior research: the middle-class Caucasian family.

It is important to note that the researchers controlled the variable of socioeconomic status (SES) so that economic factors did not influence the cultural variables of ethnic diversity. They cite the work of Brooks (1990) who cautioned that parental differences based on culture may disappear when socioeconomic status is controlled (p. 30). Even so, Julian et al. (1994) found that there were family interaction differences between ethnic groups, although not as pronounced as much of popular culture would lead the public to believe.

Stress related to low socioeconomic status is the most pronounced variable to be avoided, because it can lead to socioemotional upheaval--namely, disharmony and eventual disintegration of family units. As McKenry & Price (1994) have observed, "as American families have strived for a continuing improvemen

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hey were able to remain together during slavery. Wade (1994) asserts that after emancipation, men were forced into new economic arrangements, necessitating that they look for work in highly urbanized, industrial settings. Urban migration during World War II was especially devastating to the family unit, and an uneven ratio between the sexes started to develop. Wade (1994) contends, "the African American single-parent family can be viewed as an adaption to the forces of racial oppression and economics--a by-product of, and response to, modern capitalism" (p. 564). Such a statement is verified by the study done by Julian et al. (1994). In other words, if socioeconomic and sociohistorical factors are removed, African American fathers are effective parents in monogamous, two-income families. Only when the stresses imposed by financial hardship reach a breaking point do African American men retreat from a cohesive bond with their wives and children. The African American family has adapted to an environment that has been hostile to the male in search of economic sufficiency, and this fact has lead to an adaptation aimed at replacing the male with a mother who assumes both parental roles. McKenry & Price (1994) cite McCubbin & Pa

Category: Psychology - C